Kia Seltos

Where it stands out against its peers

• Engine: more complaints than 98% of 2021 cars — 61% of its 357 complaints, where an ordinary 2021 car has 19%.
• Engine and engine cooling: more complaints than 96% of 2021 cars — 12% of its 357 complaints, where an ordinary 2021 car has 2%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• ENGINE — 142 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash, 1 involving a fire
• ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — 40 owners reported this, 1 involving a fire
• POWER TRAIN — 27 owners reported this
• POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — 18 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — 9 owners reported this, 1 involving a fire
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 8 owners reported this

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

77% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 21V259000

  A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.

  Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began June 11, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC209.

• 25V099000

  Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

  Dealers will inspect and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Dealers will also install piston-ring noise sensing system (PNSS) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 4, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC336.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness

  Audit query, opened August 2025, closed December 2025.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Kia filed 5 bulletins about the 2026 Seltos.

• Electrical system: 2
• Engine: 2
• Back over prevention: 1

• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable… · June 2026
• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC26) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this… · February 2026
• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: STEERING ANGLE SENSOR CALIBRATION (SA641) - This bulletin provides information regarding the recalibration of the Steering Angle Sensor (SAS) on certain… · February 2026
• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC26) - This bulletin provides information related to extracting “in use monitoring performance tracking”… · January 2026
• PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The… · December 2025

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.